TAMPA BAY, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL parent club of the Norfolk Admirals, have acquired center Levi Nelson from the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Juraj Simek, Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced today. Nelson will be assigned to the Admirals.

Nelson, 6-foot-0, 192 pounds, has appeared in 14 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season, recording four goals and seven points with a plus-3 rating. His four goals rank fourth among all Bruins skaters, while his 19 penalty minutes rank sixth.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Nelson, 22, has played in 118 career AHL games, all with Providence, notching 14 goals and 27 points. His best season came in 2009-10 when he registered AHL career-highs with eight goals, five assists and 13 points in 44 games. He has also recorded two goals and three points in nine career Calder Cup Playoff games. In addition, Nelson has appeared in eight career ECHL games with the Reading Royals, recording two goals, three points and 28 penalty minutes.

Prior to his first full professional season, Nelson excelled at the junior level during four seasons with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. In 198 career games with the Broncos he amassed 65 goals, 152 points and 340 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 22 WHL playoff games, notching 11 goals and 22 points. He ranked seventh among all WHL skaters during the 2007-08 playoffs with 15 points in 12 games.

Nelson was originally selected by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round, 158th overall, at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Simek, 6-foot-0, 202 pounds, had appeared in 21 games for Norfolk this season, posting three goals and nine points. In 159 games with the Admirals since the 2008-09 season, Simek posted 33 goals and 67 points. In 225 career AHL games between Norfolk and the Manitoba Moose, Simek has recorded 40 goals and 84 points.

Born in Presov, Slovakia, Simek was originally acquired by Tampa Bay with Lukas Krajicek from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Shane O’Brien and Michel Ouellet on October 6, 2008. Simek was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round, 167th overall, at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

The Admirals will attempt to close ground on first place as they host the East Division-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night at Scope at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, the Admirals and local SPCAs will team together for Puck 'n' Paws Night. Fans are welcome to bring their medium or small sized dogs (35 pounds or less) to the game. Patrons bringing their dogs to the game will be seated in Section 205. Fans can also support the local SPCAs by purchasing limited-edition tee shirts featuring Mitch Fritz and his four-legged friend Calhoun. For more details on the event, please visit norfolkadmirals.com.

Also on Friday, 102.1 The Game, the Admirals and the Salvation Army will team up for Holiday Cheer and Gear. Fans are asked to bring new sports gear and equipment for less fortunate youth in the Hampton Roads area. The Salvation Army will distribute the "gear." If you donate footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, hockey equipment or other new sporting goods to the Admirals between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., you will receive two tickets to a future contest.

Individual tickets for all regular season games start at just $12. Tickets are available now at the Scope Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com.
Don’t miss a minute of the action by purchasing your 2010-11 season tickets today. Season tickets start at just $350 while 10-Packs are available for as little as $110. Stop by the Admirals’ administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime!